Sharadha de Saram, Sri Lanka

Program Consultant, Sri Lanka

After completing her film studies at The Berlin Film Academy, Sharadha worked as Film Editor with Sender Freies Berlin – the national TV station of Berlin, and later with The Social Development Commission and the Agency for Public Information with the Government of Jamaica. With the introduction of television to Sri Lanka Sharadha returned home to head the Current Affairs Division of the State Television Station in Rupavahini. She has scripted and directed numerous documentaries on development issues for both Government and Non-Government Organizations. She later moved onto focusing on children’s issues when she worked as Media Consultant with UNICEF in Sri Lanka. Her interest in children led to her writing the book “One Country & One People,” an illustrated story book for children.

It was her continuing interest in issues related to women & children that led her, along with another family, set up a family charity The Sunshine Charity in Sambalthiviu, Trincomalee (www.sunshinecharity.org) with the aim of providing both short-term and long-term support to children.

In 1989, she was awarded the Zonta Club of Sri Lanka’s Woman of Achievement Award – The Arthur C. Clark Award for Television Direction and Production.

Sharadha de Saram served as Member of the National Board of Habitat for Humanity, Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2010. She is the Post-Tsunami Consultant in Sri Lanka for Give2Asia, established by The Asia Foundation to promote philanthropy to Asia. In 2008, she was appointed Project Director of the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation which will preserve the documentary film heritage of Sri Lanka.

She is a Communications Specialist by profession and works as an independent TV script writer. Sharadha is a former student of Bishop’s College, Colombo.

Give2Asia

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